Ashen
Without color, pale grey
Julie walked in, ashen-faced with shock.
Hod
A brick carrier
ที่ยกอิฐ
Dissuade
Persuade not to do something
I tried to dissuade her from leaving.
Meek
Submissive
Quiet, not willing to argue in a forceful way
She seemed so meek and mild.
Mien
A person’s appearance especially face appearance
Haughty
Unfriendly, arrogant
She has a rather haughty manner.
Haste
Hurry
In her haste to get up from the table, she knocked over a cup.
Frail
Weak
A frail old lady
Molar
ฟันกราม
Rapturous, ecstatic
Extremely happy, pleased
The play was greeted with rapturous applause.
Haphazard
Not having an obvious order/plan
He tackled the problem in a typically haphazard manner.
Yashmak
ผ้าคลุมหน้าของหญิงมุสลิม
Skewer, brochettes
ที่เสียบ หรืออาหารที่เป็นไม้เสียบ
Demote, relegate
To put someone or something into a lower rank/position
She resigned when she was relegated to a desk job.
Bygone
Past
A bygone era
Sprig
A small plant stem with leaves on it
Garnish the dish with sprigs of parsley.
Sow
A female pig
Arid
Very dry
Shackle, fetter
Lack of freedom to act
The country is shackled by its own debts.
He felt fettered by a nine-to-five office existence.
Prise
To use force to lift something off
I managed to prise the lid off the tin of paint.
Remit
UK Law to reduce a period of time that someone must spend in prison
His prison sentence was remitted to two years.
To send money to someone
He worked and remitted half his wage to his family.
Trots
Informal
Diarrhea
Have the trots
Vernacular
A language that a particular group
The Spanish I learned at school is very different from the local vernacular of this Mexican village.
Stash
A hidden store
The stolen pictures were stashed away in a warehouse.
Morsel
A very small piece of food
A morsel of cheese
Aria
A piece of music in a opera
Steed
A horse that is ridden
A fine, white steed
Staid
Dull, boring
Lubricant
น้ำมันหล่อลื่น
Tranquilised
Sedated
ทำให้สัตว์หมดสติ
Minaret
A tall, thin tower on a mosque
Profusion
An extremely large amount of something
She’d never seen flowers so beautiful and in such profusion.
Silo
A large, round tower on a farm for storing grain or winter food for cattle’s
A large underground place for storing and firing missiles
Flaccid
Soft and weak
Flabby
Soft and fat
Flabby arms
Weak and without force
A flabby argument
Stupor
Hypnotic state
A state in which a person is almost unconscious and their thoughts are not clear
He was lying under the table in a drunken stupor.
Deficit
The total amount by which money spent is more than money received
The country is running a balance-of-payments deficit of $250 million.
Tepid
Of liquid not very warm
Of feelings not very strong
There is only tepid support in Congress for the proposal.
Lukewarm
Only slightly warm
A reaction that is lukewarm is not enthusiastic
How can you drink lukewarm coffee?
His support for the voting measures was lukewarm.
Berate
To criticize in an angry manner
His mother berated him for making a mess.
As he left the meeting, he was berated by angry demonstrators.
Ram
To hit or push sth with force
I rammed down the soil around the fence post.
Someone rammed into my car while it was parked outside my house.
Prise
To use force to lift sth off sth else
I managed to prise the lid off the tin of paint.
She prised the child’s fingers apart and forced him to give her the coins.
Entice
To persuade sb to do sth by offering them sth pleasant
People are enticed away from the profession by higher salaries elsewhere.
Abet
To help sb to do sth illegal/wrong
His accountant had aided and abetted him in the fraud.
Heathen/pagan
Relating to religious beliefs that do not belong to any of the main religions
A pagan religion
Rabies
โรคพิษสุนัขบ้า
Dogs, cats, and bats can all carry rabies.
Col
The lowest point of a high edge between two mountains
From the col, there is a wonderful view back down over the ski village.
Frogman
Sb who swims or works underwater for a long time
Police frogman
She had a team of navy frogmen on board along with their equipment.
Scythe / sickle
เคียว ง้าว
Airliner
A large passenger aircraft
A host/multitude of
A large no. Of sth
There’s a whole host of reasons why he didn’t get the job.
Acumen
Skill in making correct decisions in a particular subject
She has considerable business acumen.
Syn. Insight
Anvil
ทั่งตีเหล็ก
Mar
To spoil something
Sadly, the text is marred by Careless errors.
Reel
Spoil แกนด้าย
Draconian
Extremely severe or go further than what it is right or necessary
He criticized the draconian measures taken by the police in controlling the demonstrators.
Reek
To have a strong unpleasant smell
Her breath reeked of garlic
Intact
Not damaged
It’s difficult to emerge from such a scandal with your reputation still intact.
Treble
Three times greater in amount, number or size
He earns almost treble the amount that I do.
Syn. Triple
Crook
Adj. Bad/ill
I’m a bit crook at the moment.
V. To bend your arm or finger
She delicately crooked her fingers as she picked up her cup.
N. Informal - A very dishonest person
These politicians are just a bunch of crooks.
Eon
(Informal) a period of time that is so long
I’ve been waiting eons for my new computers.
Refute
To say that sb/sth is wrong
Deny
Are you refuting the evidence?
Dregs
(Plu) the small solid pieces that sink to the bottom of some liquids
I wanted a last drink of coffee but there were only dregs left.
Residue
Adonis
A beautiful young man
She walked in on the arm of some blond Adonis.
Repose
Rest or lie
She reposed on the sofa.
Nullify
Negate โมฆะ
The state death penalty law was nullified in 1977.
Sap
N. Resin ยางไม้
V. To make sb weaker
Constant criticism saps you of your confidence.
Taking care of her dying mother has sapped all her energy.
Sprite
A fairy connected to water
A sea/water sprite
Bramble
A blackberry / a bush of blackberries
We carefully pushed our way through the low brambles.
Bramble jam
Poser
Baffling question
A problem or question that is difficult to solve
Who was the last woman to win three Olympic gold medals? That’s quite a poser.
Coronet
Small crown
Chide
Scold
She chided him for his bad manners.
Secular
Not having any connection without religion
Secular society/music/education
Privy to
To be told information that is not told to many people
I was never privy to conversations between top management.
Be in on with sth
In on with sth
Involved with a particular activity
He seems to be in on everything that happens at work.
Supine
Lying face upwards
We walked along the beach, past the rows of supine bodies soaking up the sun.
Hamper
To prevent sb doing sth easily
Fierce storms have been hampering rescue efforts and there is now little chance of finding more survivors.
Monotonous
Not changing and therefore boring
A monotonous job/voice
The music became monotonous after a while.
Ransack
To search a place in a violent way
The burglars ransacked the house but found nothing valuable.
I ransacked the cupboard for my ski boots.
Scrimp
To save money by spending less than is necessary to reach an acceptable standard
I’ve been scrimping and saving all year to pay for our holiday.
Bolster
To support or improve sth
They need to do sth to bolster their image.
She tired to bolster my confidence by telling me that I had a special talent.
The
Exult
To express great pleasure at sb else’s defeat or failure
They exulted at/over their victory.
Arcane
Mysterious
He was the only person who understood all the arcane details of the agreement.
Biped
สัตว์สองเท้า
Quadruped
สัตว์สี่เท้า
Foray
การโจมตีเพื่อขโมยเสบียง
Rasp
ตะไบ
Decamp / abscond
Escape
He decamped from the hotel with sb else’s luggage.
Two prisoners absconded last night.
Sty / style
ตากุ้งยิง
Bop
Dance informally
They were all bopping to the music.
Irate
Furious
We have received some irate phone calls from customers.
Abut
Adjoin
Mexico abuts (on) some of the richest parts of US.
Their house abutted (onto) the police station.
Revolt
V. Refuse to be controlled and take action against authority
The people revolted against foreign rule and established their own government.
N. Rising
The army is in revolt against its commanders.
Slumber
N. Sleep
I fell into a gentle slumber.
I didn’t want to rouse you from your slumbers.
Repeal
To say officially that an agreement or a law is no longer in effect
The authorities have revoked/repealed their original decision to allow development of this rural area.
Vim
Energy and enthusiasm
At 87, Mina’s still full of vim and vigor.
Mariner
Seaman
Many a mariner lost his life on doing these rocks.
Customary
Usual
She is not her customary cheerful self today.
Farrier
One who shoes horses
Tetanus
Lockjaw
บาดทะยัก
Brawn
Muscular strength
She said she preferred brawn to braining.
Stench
A strong unpleasant smell
The stench of rotten fish
Ludicrous
Stupid , unreasonable
A ludicrous idea/suggestion
Run in
Have a serious argument
I had a run-in with the boss yesterday.
Swat
To hit something especially an insect with a flat object
I swatted the fly with a roll-up newspaper.
Aside
Whisper
“Does that make him a murderer?” whispered Alice in an aside to Fred.
Trier
One who persevere
She is a real trier.
Sic
A word written in brackets after a word that you have copied to show that you know it has been spelled wrongly
The notice outside office said “close on Wedenesday” (sic).
Court
Try to get attention or support
Woo
She courts publicity by inviting journalists to extravagance parties.
A candidate must woo voters by making them feel important.
Astir
Out of bed and moving around or in an excited state
She was rarely astir later than 7 o’clock.
Curb
To control or limit something that is not wanted
The government should act to curb tax evasion.
You really need to curb your spending.
Settee
(C) Sofa
Macho
behaving forcefully or showing no emotion in a way traditionally thought to be typical of a man
He’s too macho to admit he was hurt when his girlfriend left him.
I can’t stand macho men.
Pacy / pacey
A pacy novel, story, film, etc. contains a lot of action or events that happen quickly.
Brutish
rough, unpleasant, and often violent
It has been said that life is often “nasty, brutish, and short”.
Ague
A fever in which your body shakes
Tepid / lukewarm
(especially of a liquid) only slightly warm
This coffee’s lukewarm.
disapproving not enthusiastic or interested
Her proposals got a lukewarm response.
I got a tepid response to my suggestion.
Refute / rebut
to say or prove that a person, statement, opinion, etc. is wrong or false:
to refute a person/theory/argument/claim
to argue that a statement or claim is not true:
She has rebutted charges that she has been involved in any financial malpractice.
Haulier
a business or a person involved in a business that transports goods by road
Kindred
similar or related
They sell dried fruit and nuts and other kindred products.
Slake / quench
to satisfy a feeling of being thirsty or of wanting something
After our long game of tennis, we slaked our thirst with a beer.
I don’t think Dick will ever manage to slake his lust for power.
to satisfy a need or wish:
Her thirst for knowledge will never be quenched
Spire / steeple
a pointed structure on the top of a church tower, or the tower and the pointed structure considered as one unit
a church steeple
Fiasco
something planned that goes wrong and is a complete failure, usually in an embarrassing way
The show was a fiasco - one actor forgot his lines and another fell off the stage.
The entire political campaign was a fiasco, and at the end he drew only 30% of the votes.
Wheedle
to try to persuade someone to do something or give you something by praising them or being intentionally charming
She’s one of those children who can wheedle you into giving her anything she wants.
She wasn’t invited, but somehow she managed to wheedle her way in.
Supplant / supersede
to replace
Printed books will soon be supplanted by e-books.
Small children can often feel supplanted in their parents’ affections (= that their parents no longer like them as much) when a new brother or sister is born.
Most of the old road has been superseded by the great interstate highways.
Harpoon
a long, heavy spear (= a long, sharp weapon) attached to a rope, used for killing large fish or whales
Dearth / scarcity
an amount or supply that is not large enough
a dearth of new homes in the region
Clairvoyant
a person who says they have powers to see the future or see things that other people cannot see
She went to see a clairvoyant who said he could communicate with her dead husband.
Pitfall
a likely mistake or problem in a situation
The store fell into one of the major pitfalls of small business, borrowing from suppliers by paying bills late.
There’s a video that tells new students about pitfalls to avoid.
an unexpected danger or difficulty
Who knows what kind of pitfalls they’re going to run into.
Winsome
attractive and pleasing, with simple qualities, sometimes like those a child has
Maria brought along her eldest daughter - a winsome girl with brown eyes and a ready smile.
Espy
to suddenly or unexpectedly see something, especially something a long distance away
She suddenly espied someone waving at her from the window.
Helix
A spiral
Stately
formal, slow, and having a style and appearance that causes admiration
The procession moved through the streets at a stately pace.
Curio
an unusual object
a shop full of antiques and curios
Saucy
rude and showing no respect, or referring to sex, especially in a humorous way
a saucy remark/manner/look
Enlist
to join the armed forces
They both enlisted (in the navy) a year before the war broke out.
(formal) to ask for and get help or support from someone
We enlisted some people to help prepare the food.
Gambit
a clever action in a game or other situation that is intended to achieve an advantage and usually involves taking a risk
Her clever opening gambit gave her an early advantage.
Befit
to be suitable or right for someone or something
She was buried in the cathedral, as befits someone of her position.
Append
to add something to the end of a piece of writing
The author appends a short footnote to the text explaining the point.
Several footnotes were appended to the text.
Appendage
Body part
He had a tattoo on every visible appendage.
Sage
wise, especially as a result of great experience
sage advice
my sage old grandfather
Tactless
not careful about saying or doing something that could upset someone
It was tactless of you to invite his ex-girlfriend.
Azure
having the bright blue colour of the sky on a clear day
The once azure skies of Athens have been ruined by atmospheric pollution.
Leonine
(often of a person’s head or hair) like a lion
Decapitate
Behead
Sedative
a drug that has a calming effect
If your pet is unaccustomed to car travel, consider a mild sedative to help relieve its anxiety.
Astute / shrewd
able to understand a situation quickly and see how to take advantage of it
an astute investor/businesswoman
his astute handling of the situation
an astute observer of human behaviour
Uncle Sam
the US, or its government, sometimes represented by an image of a tall, thin man with a white beard and a tall hat
Booking
a punishment for breaking the rules in a football game in which the referee writes the player’s name in a book
When a defender gets a booking, he has to be careful not to get another and be sent off.
Epitaph
a short piece of writing or a poem about a dead person, especially one written on their gravestone
Tweezers
แหนบ
eyebrow tweezers
Laud
Praise
The German leadership lauded the Russian initiative.
Congeal
to change from a liquid or soft state to a thick or solid state
The blood had congealed in thick black clots.
Ruffian / thug
a man who acts violently, especially to commit a crime
Some thugs smashed his windows.
Nab
to take something suddenly, or to catch or arrest a criminal
Undercover police officers nabbed the men at the airport.
Arrears
money that is owed and should already have been paid
rent arrears
Backlog
a large number of things that you should have done before and must do now
I’ve got a huge backlog of work to do.
Anew
again or one more time, especially in a different way
The film tells anew the story of his rise to fame and power.
Onset
the beginning of something
We have to get the roof fixed before the onset of winter.
Haggard
looking ill or tired, often with dark skin under the eyes
He’d been drinking the night before and was looking a bit haggard.
Tonic
informal something that makes you feel stronger or happier
The magazine is lively and interesting - the pictures alone are a tonic.
Pick-me-up
something that makes you feel better, often a drink or a tonic (= a type of medicine)
It is traditional around here to drink brandy with coffee as a morning pick-me-up.
Defamation
He is suing for defamation of character.
Libel
a piece of writing that contains bad and false things about a person
She threatened to sue the magazine for libel.
Finite
having a limit or end
The funds available for the health service are finite and we cannot afford to waste money.
We only have a finite amount of time to complete this task - we can’t continue indefinitely.
Apprehend
to catch and arrest someone who has not obeyed the law
The police have finally apprehended the killer.
Bedevil
to confuse, annoy, or cause problems or difficulties for someone or something
Ever since I started playing tennis, I’ve been bedevilled by back pains.
Inapt
not suitable for the situation
His comments were perhaps inapt.
Arsenal
a building where weapons and military equipment are stored
The army planned to attack enemy arsenals.
Eerie
strange in a frightening and mysterious way:
She heard the eerie noise of the wind howling through the trees.
He had the eerie feeling that he had met this stranger before.
Deficit
the total amount by which money spent is more than money received:
The country is running a balance-of-payments/budget/trade deficit of $250 million.
The UK’s deficit in manufactured goods fell slightly in the last three months.
Do for
to seriously damage something, or to seriously hurt or kill someone:
Driving on those rough roads has really done for my car.
Hurtful
causing emotional pain:
That was a very hurtful remark!
How can you be so hurtful?
Set to
to start working or dealing with something in an energetic and determined way:
If we all set to, we should be able to finish the job in a week.
a short argument or fight:
Dad had a bit of a set-to with the neighbours about their playing loud music all the time.
Oaf / dolt
a stupid, rude, or awkward person, especially a man:
a drunken/insensitive/stupid oaf
You clumsy oaf! You broke it!
Refute / rebut
to say or prove that a person, statement, opinion, etc. is wrong or false:
to refute a person/theory/argument/claim
She has rebutted charges that she has been involved in any financial malpractice.
Soulful
expressing deep feelings, often sadness:
a soulful performance/ballad
The dog looked at me with its big, soulful, brown eyes.
Tattle
to secretly tell someone in authority, especially a teacher, that someone else has done something bad, often in order to cause trouble:
Did you tattle on us to the teacher?
Agape
Adj
with the mouth open, especially showing surprise or shock:
We watched, our mouths agape in excitement.
Glazing
Uncountable noun
the glass used for windows
Putty
a soft substance like clay that is used especially for holding glass in window frames or for filling small holes in wood
Fit / seizure
a sudden attack of illness when someone cannot control their movements and becomes unconscious:
an epileptic fit / seizure
He had a fit at work and collapsed.
His aunt died of a seizure (a sudden failure of the heart).
Sleaze
[ U ] activities, especially business or political, of a low moral standard:
The sleaze factor was the major reason for his electoral defeat.
Errant
behaving wrongly in some way, especially by leaving home:
an errant husband
errant children
going in a wrong direction: An errant throw cost them the game. not correctly done or not behaving well: Teachers dislike errant spellings and misused words.
Singe
to burn slightly on the surface, without producing flames:
My sweater started to singe when I leaned over a burning candle.
Aggro
violent or threatening behaviour, especially between groups of young people:
There was some aggro between rival fans at the station.
trouble or difficulty:
Why are you being so uncooperative? I don’t need this aggro.
As yet
until and including this time, so far:
We haven’t needed extra staff as yet, but we may in the future.
No ambulances had as yet managed to get across the river.
Jaded
not having interest or losing interest because you have experienced something too many times:
Flying is exciting the first time you do it, but you soon become jaded.
Perhaps some caviar can tempt your jaded palate.
Capricious
changing mood or behaviour suddenly and unexpectedly:
a capricious child
He was a cruel and capricious tyrant.
Whimsy
[ U ] unusual, funny, and pleasant ideas or qualities:
Add a touch of whimsy to your room with these cat sculptures.
The film combines whimsy and tragedy in equal measure.
[ C or U ] uk disapproving something that is intended to be strange and humorous but in fact has little real meaning or value:
Personally I’ve always considered mime to be a lot of whimsy.
Abet
to help or encourage someone to do something wrong or illegal:
His accountant had aided and abetted him in the fraud.
Tetchy
easily made angry, unhappy, or upset: irritable, testy
Be careful what you say to Anna - she’s been a little tetchy lately.
Entity
something that exists apart from other things, having its own independent existence: unit
The museums work closely together, but are separate legal entities.
He regarded the north of the country as a separate cultural entity.
Leeway
freedom to act within certain limits:
[ + to infinitive ] The law gives companies more leeway to decide whether to accept or reject an offer.
Leeway is also additional time or money:
Homeowners need some leeway to buy a new house after they sell the old one.
Room for/to manoeuvre
also freedom of manoeuvre
the opportunity to change your plans or choose between different ways of doing something:
The law in this area is very strict and doesn’t allow us much room for manoeuvre.
Wrought
made or done in a careful or decorative way:
The new album contains some carefully-wrought new songs and a number of familiar hits.
Her poems are well-wrought and intensely personal.
to cause something to happen:
Mr Simmonds has wrought (= caused) considerable changes in the company.
Wreak
to cause something to happen in a violent and often uncontrolled way:
The recent storms have wreaked havoc on crops.
She was determined to wreak revenge/vengeance on both him and his family.
In-house
Something that is done in-house is done within an organization or business by its employees rather than by other people:
an in-house training scheme
All our advertising material is designed in-house.
something that is done in-house is done by employees within an organization rather than by other companies or independent workers:
Many corporations are contracting out support functions that do not need to be carried out in-house.
Snivel
to cry slightly in a way that is weak and does not make other people feel sympathy for you:
He’s sitting in his bedroom snivelling because he was told off for not doing his homework.
Cinder / ember
a small piece of partly burned coal or wood:
The cake was burned to a cinder (= burned black).
a piece of wood or coal, etc. that continues to burn after a fire has no more flames:
We sat by the glowing/dying embers of the fire.